Workshop 3 | Charleston, W.Va.
Eight teams have been selected for the final round of the Innovation Challenge for Coal-Reliant Communities program. The selected teams—led by counties and regional development organizations and including a broad range of other public- and private-sector partners—competed for the opportunity to participate in this program, which offers resources to support places impacted by downturns in the coal industry. The Innovation Challenge program assists county and regional leaders with retooling local economies to be more resilient to changing conditions.
The winning teams are led by: Team Lead: Southeast Michigan Council of Governments Team Lead: West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission Team Lead: Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments Team Lead: Armstrong County, Pa. Team Lead: New River Valley Regional Commission Team Lead: New River Gorge Regional Development Authority Team Lead: Kanawha County, W.Va. Team Lead: Mason County, W.Va. Welcome and Team Presentations: Who’s In the Room? . ▪ Opening Slides and Team Introduction Presentations Panel Discussion: From Downturn to Transition . ▪ Economic Transition and Community Revitalization – Taylor Stuckert Opening Plenary: Partnerships and Resources to Root the Transition . ▪ Thinking “Bigger” About Smaller Places – Chuck Fluharty Exploring Data and Tools: Concurrent Sessions . ▪ Making Data Work for You and Your Communities – Brian Kelsey Luncheon Keynote: Building Communities that Create Prosperity and Opportunity . ▪ The Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet) – Leslie Shaller U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Update . ▪ EDA Power Initiative – Doug Lynott Panel Discussion: Regional Partnerships to Implement a Vision . ▪ Building a Resilient Region – Cheryal Lee Hills and Dan Frank Final Team Presentations
Representing Monroe County and Wayne County
Representing Muskegon County
Representing Cibola, McKinley and San Juan counties
Representing Giles County, Va.
Representing Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh and Summers counties, W.Va.
. ▪ Transition Issues in Coal Plant Communities – Cindy Winland
. ▪ Community-Based Growth Strategies – Stephanie Tyree
. ▪ Workforce Development Tools for Changing Communities – Joel Simon